Mahou Shoujo Homura Magica
by StormFarron185
Summary: Six weeks after Sayaka died and Homura took over the body of her other self, the Wraiths began to behave differently. The mahou shoujo of Mitakihara will soon learn that Wraiths won't be the only enemy they must face and the peacefulness of Madoka's new world... will be broken.
1. Chapter 1: Anomaly

Mahou Shoujo Homura Magicka

**Authors Note: This the first time I'm writing a Madoka Magica story, so I'm not sure about whether or not I got everyone in character.**

It was warmer than usual that night. Homura Akemi stood atop one of the many skyscrapers of Mitakihara. She watched the world below, the world of humans and lives they lead. She gave up on that life long ago. She now lived as a mahou shoujo, a magical girl.

She wasn't the only mahou shoujo in the city; two others resided in the city as well. Mami Tomoe, an older veteran mahou shoujo. She used musket rifles that she summoned from her body and clothing to fight. Mami was kind and caring, almost annoyingly so. As of late, Mami was getting worried about Homura's well being. Whenever she asked, Homura would always brush her off, saying she was fine.

The other mahou shoujo was Kyoko Sakura, a redhead with mischievous personality. She fought with a spear that could bend, extend and break apart connected by chains. Homura found her to be more bearable in this new world than in any other previous timeline. She assumed this was due to Sayaka's and Mami's influence on her.

The sound of footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. Homura turned to find the two girls approaching her, already transformed into their mahou shoujo outfits.

They were about to begin another Wraith hunt that night. However, something was odd about the last two hunts they did. Homura hoped it was her imagination, but she felt she should speak to them about it tonight so they can be on the lookout.

Why meet at the top of a skyscraper? This was something the ex-time traveler did not know. She always preferred high places, was it because she felt like she didn't belong in the world of humans, or was it that the higher she was, the closer she was to Madoka?

"What is it you wanted to talk about Homura-chan?" Mami asked, she hoped it would be about her almost 180 change in personality after Sayaka died.

"It's about the Wraiths."

Mami sighed quietly.

"They've been acting strange lately."

"Strange?" Kyoko asked. "How so?"

Homura looked down slightly.

"I'm not sure, the last two times we hunted them they seemed...different, uninterested. They didn't fight back, I think they even tried flee."

"That doesn't make any sense, I've been fighting wraiths for a long time, and that has never happened." Mami said.

"I for one, don't really paying attention. It's always been the same for me, I show up, they die. So what if they're acting different, what does it matter?" Kyoko stated.

"It may mean nothing but I want you guys to check if they really are acting differently, just in case."

The blond and redhead nodded as Homura turned back around and transformed into her mahou shoujo outfit. Angelic wings sprouted from her back, she leaped from the edge and flew into the night.

It didn't take long for her to find a group of Wraiths, but it was still longer than usual. _These things should be all over the place at night, instead I have to look for them._

As she thought, they were all moving in one direction, completely ignoring her presence. She even landed right in front of them, but they still just moved past her. She briefly considered following them to find out where they could be going, but she knew she couldn't take that risk. She summoned her bow and prepared to fire.

Kyoko and Mami were witnessing the same kind of behavior from the Wraiths.

"Would you look at that, they really are ignoring us." Kyoko commented, scratching the back of her head.

"I don't get it, why is this happening? Are they moving away from the city? If the city doesn't have Wraiths anymore then our Soul Gems are done for." Mami said while pulling two muskets from her body.

"At least this will make our job easier." Kyoko said before charging ahead with her spear.

The three met again at the top of the same skyscraper to split the Grief Stones evenly among them. Homura noticed that the number of Grief Stones had decreased to less than the average amount.

_If the Wraiths continue to disappear, then we won't be able to survive._

Kyubey stored the Grief Stones inside his back when the girls had finished cleansing their gems. Homura tilted her head towards the alien.

"Incubator, the Wraiths are behaving differently, and they've been decreasing in number. Do you know anything about this?" Homura questioned, trying to stop herself from glaring at the little white bastard.

_He's not the enemy anymore._

Homura had to constantly remind herself that, but it was hard considering that the Incubators were the reason why Madoka had to sacrifice herself.

"It is certainly a strange anomaly. This will affect our energy harvesting." Kyubey said, in that voice that would occasionally send chills down Homura's spine.

_So that rules Kyubey out of this. Of course the only thing that would matter to him is the energy. If the Wraiths disappear, then his race can't harvest anything._

"Say Homura-chan, why don't you come over? Have some tea and cake with us, it's been awhile." Mami asked, although there was an inkling of pleading in her request.

The raven haired girl shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll pass."

Mami visibly saddened at her answer. It had been six weeks since Sayaka died. Kyoko grieved but soon found the strength to go on, Homura on the other hand; she closed herself off from the world. At first Mami just let her be, thinking that she too will be back to normal someday, but it had been six weeks, Mami needed to talk to her, before she did something she'll regret.

She felt like Homura was a completely different person. She never stuttered, she got straight A's in class and her focus in a fight had increased dramatically. Mami still wasn't sure how she felt about this. She was glad that Homura had become a stronger person, but she had become a cold person. Mami couldn't help but miss that shy, sweet and socially awkward girl.

Actually she was still socially awkward, she was just better at hiding it.

"W-Well, if you ever change your mind..." Homura nodded before taking off towards her home.

The blond and the redhead went home as well. Kyoko lived with Mami in this world. After finally making peace with Kyoko (which included the destruction of an entire park), Mami offered her a place to stay. After being on the streets for so long, the redhead jumped at the chance for comfortable place to sleep.

Upon entering, Mami went to the kitchen to start making tea. Kyoko dropped herself onto the couch and switched on the television. As expected, nothing entertaining was on. These days it just seemed to be boring reality crap for the masses.

It was a usual routine for the two mahou shoujo. Fight Wraiths, get home, drink tea and it sometimes included Mami forcing Kyoko to do her homework.

They ate and drank in silence, Kyoko could tell that Mami was troubled. She would usually try to hide her troubles behind a smile but now she wasn't even trying to hide it. Kyoko took a biscuit and bit into half of it.

"Just spit it out, what's wrong?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mami immediately put on a bright smile, Kyoko wasn't fooled however.

"Come on Mami-san, I've known you for too long to know when you're troubled, we're friends aren't we?"

"Of course, I just well…" Kyoko waited for Mami to continue.

"...It's Homura-chan." Mami slowly put the tea cup down. "I just want her to open up to us again. I want her to smile and laugh with us, just like before."

Kyoko took another bite out of the biscuit. "She lost her best friend, is it really that surprising that it would change her?"

Mami nodded. "I know, I hope things get back normal soon."

"Speaking of." Kyoko said with her mouth full of a sandwich. "What do you think is going on with the Wraiths?"

Mami shrugged. "I don't know. Kyubey says that this event has never happened before, so he probably doesn't know what to do. I guess if they don't fight back anymore then fighting them is much easier."

The rest of the night went on. Mami didn't even bother to get Kyoko to do her homework. Tomorrow was a Sunday, so the girls would be sleeping in.

_Homura's house_

The dark haired girl entered the cold and empty home. It remained largely unchanged in Madoka's new world. Her relationship or lack thereof, with her parents were the same as well. They gave her enough to survive on her own for next ten years as they wanted nothing to do with a weak and fragile child.

The sound of her footsteps echoed though out the house as she headed towards the desk in her bedroom that had notes piled on it.

She searched through them and picked up a note about her suspicion of the Wraiths recent change in behavior.

_Is this happening anywhere else? Or is Mitakihara a special case?_

She went through the notes until she found a map. It showed Mitakihara and its nearby towns and cities.

_I might have to leave the city for a bit. See if this is happening anywhere else._

Homura yawned, realizing that she was too tired to think about the current situation. She didn't even bother to change and just went straight to bed, her thoughts drifting towards a certain pinkette.

_The Next Day_

Kyoko woke up earlier than usual. She tried going back to sleep but couldn't. Her thoughts lingered to last night.

_Mami-san..._

When Kyoko first met the older mahou shoujo, the blonde did something no other mahou shoujo did, she offered to cooperate with her. Of course the redhead straight out refused and engaged in a turf war against Mami. Kyoko lost every battle, but before every fight however, she would make the same offer.

After another loss to Mami, Kyoko finally agreed to work with the blonde.

_Flashback_

_Kyoko lay there panting, she lost to Mami so many times she lost count, but she never killed her. The gun wielding mahou shoujo stood above her, hand extended for her to take, she still wanted to work with her._

_"Why won't you kill me?"_

_The question seemed genuinely to take Mami by surprise._

_"Any other mahou shoujo would have killed me, why so won't you?"_

_Mami gave her a sweet smile. "It's because I want us to work together and I know we can be friends."_

_Kyoko chuckled slightly. "Your persistent, I'll give you that."_

_Kyoko lived out on the streets for a long time, not once did anyone offer to be her friend. Kyoko didn't need friends; she never relied on no one but herself. It was clear however, that Mami wouldn't give up until she cooperated._

_The defeated mahou shoujo let out long sigh. "Alright...I'll...work with you." The sentence was harder to say than she thought it would._

_Mami beamed and immediately pulled Kyoko up off ground, not even allowed her a chance to get her stamina back. They looked around themselves, seeing the aftermath of their fight._

_"Come on we should get out of here." Mami grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the scene before the police arrived._

_"Wait, where are we going?" Kyoko asked, trying keep up the pace._

_"My place, it's late so I might as well bring you over." Mami replied, still running._

_"Hang on, I agreed to work with you, not be your friend!" Kyoko complained, but somewhere in the deepest parts of her mind, she didn't mind this at all._

_"It's a start, right?!"_

_End Flashback_

After finding out Kyoko was homeless, Mami let her live with the blonde. Not long after that she met Sayaka Miki and Homura Akemi. She and Sayaka didn't exactly have best start, their differences in morality didn't allow much of a friendship for them. Homura on the other hand, Kyoko had a lot of fun teasing the dark haired girl.

It was all too easy to her stuttering and embarrassed but now she had pull out her best tactics to get even the smallest amount of emotion from her. Kyoko also missed the old Homura. The redhead turned her head to the clock on the wall.

_It's still early. Just what am I supposed to do?_

Mami was still asleep, so she wondered what she should do, when an idea suddenly came to her. It had been so long since she had done it. She grinned widely, showing her fang.

_Homura's house_

The ex-time traveler woke to a strange sound in her house. Pushing off her blanket, she got up to investigate it, when she realized, it was the sound of human feet.

_What the? Is it a burglar?_

Homura took her mahou shoujo form. She closed her eyes to focus.

_It sounds like they're in the kitchen._

She summoned her bow, ready to fire. She took slow and careful steps towards the kitchen. Homura pulled back the string of the bow as energy gathered in the form of a purple arrow.

_1...2...3!_

Jumped into the kitchen entrance and fired the arrow. It spit into a dozen arrows striking the intruder and pinning them to a wall.

Homura walked forward to see who she had just struck. She switched on the kitchen lights to find that it was...Kyoko. The arrows didn't do any damage Kyoko herself, but it pinned her to the wall through her clothing.

"Er...hi." Kyoko said nervously, she waved slightly with her only free hand while nailed to the wall by sizzling arrows.

The sound of a facepalm echoed throughout the room.

**Authors Note: Again this is my first Madoka fanfic, so constructive criticisms would be very helpful. Please Review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Leaving and Meeting

**Author's Note: I'll be brutally honest here. I am not very satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I've forgotten how many times I've redone it but I can't seem to get it right. I may rewrite this chapter sometime in the future.**

It was a few moments before Homura could remove her palm from her face.

_Damnit Sakura-san_

The redhead smiled sheepishly before letting out a yelp as the arrows dissipated, letting Kyoko fall towards the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Homura was very clear in the fact that she was annoyed. She transformed back to her school uniform as she waited for Kyoko's answer.

Kyoko rubbed the back of her head before answering.

"What? Am I not allowed to visit a friend?" Kyoko said while trying to get up after falling on her face.

Kyoko's real reason for visiting was so she could wake Homura up in some weird way. Sometimes Homura would wake up to the redhead wearing a scary mask, or just being woken up by a bucket of water. Mami would scold and punish her for the pranks but Homura couldn't stay mad at Kyoko for long. After Sayaka's death, the once homeless mahou shoujo stopped pulling pranks for awhile, until today.

When Kyoko got to Homura's place, she felt a little hungry and decided that a small snack couldn't hurt. That was when she found herself stuck to the wall by Homura's arrows.

"You wanted food right? That's the only reason you would be in my kitchen." Homura sighed. "Well, help yourself I guess." The dark haired girl was not in the mood for the redhead's antics.

Homura got started on making instant noodles for her breakfast while Kyoko searched the fridge. The stoic girl started boiling the cold water. _I need to act soon. There are no second chances in this world._

Homura unconsciously touched the ribbon in her hair. This action did not go unnoticed by Kyoko.

Kyoko always felt strange whenever she saw that ribbon. That strange feeling overtook her. She felt like she had seen the ribbon on someone else before, but she could never figure out who.

"Since you're here..." Homura started, which snapped Kyoko out of her thoughts. "…I need you to pass a message to Tomoe-san."

"A message?"

"Tell her that I'll be gone for a while."

"What?" Kyoko attention was no longer focused on food. "What do you mean gone?"

Homura tiled her head to Kyoko. "I mean I'm leaving Mitakihara for while. I probably only be gone for week, maybe two at most. You two can handle things while I'm not here right?"

"Wait, why are you leaving? You normally don't do things without a reason."

"Unlike you." Homura retorted. "It's the Wraiths. I need to see if this change has happened anywhere else, or if this city is the only one affected." The young girl finished the instant noodles and placed it on the table waiting for it cool.

"It's always business with you nowadays." Kyoko groaned. "You're no fun anymore."

"I don't have time for fun." Homura replied, her patience being tested by the ponytail redhead.

"You know you're making Mami-san sad right? She just wants you to hang out with us again."

The long haired girl didn't reply._ I can't say anything that could contradict the past._

"Look...I know Sayaka-san was your best friend." Kyoko continued. "Even I grew to like her a bit, I disagreed with her a lot, but I respected her. It's just, you can't just wallow in self pity forever Homura-chan, I should know."

One thing the stoic girl could never understand about Madoka's new world was that Sayaka died the moment she came into this world. Sayaka was Madoka's closest friend, it didn't make sense as to why she didn't live past the moment the time traveling Homura took over.

This at least worked in her favor, with Sayaka's death, Homura's abrupt change in personality could be blamed in that incident.

Before Kyoko could say anymore, the doorbell rang.

Homura went to answer it, eager to move away from her current situation. _Who would be here this early?_

She peered through the little hole in the door and saw that it was Mami, not with her usual smile either. Homura opened the door to see what the blonde wanted.

"Is Kyoko-chan here?"

As if right on cue, the appeared redhead right behind Homura.

"What's up Mami-san?"

"Is there a reason as why I woke up to find you gone?" Mami said with a smile but the smile was slightly sadistic. Kyoko could only laugh nervously.

"Well? I'm waiting for an answer Kyoko-chan." Mami started to step slowly towards the nervous redhead. It was like something out of a horror movie, with Mami being psychotic killer.

"I just wanted to see Homura-chan, that's all." _If Mami finds out I was planning to prank her again..._

Homura had two options. She could sit back and watch the massacre, or step in and save Kyoko. As appealing as the former option sounded, she needed those two to be ready in case anything happened in Mitakihara while she was gone.

She placed a hand on shoulder. "Now isn't the time Tomoe-san."

Mami's expression was replaced with a look of curiosity.

"Huh, why? What's going on?"

"I have to leave this city to check other mahou shoujo territory. I have to see if the Wraiths are any different anywhere."

Mami didn't know how to react to this. Her common sense told her that this was a good idea, that the Wraiths needed to be investigated, the other part of mind, the motherly side, told her that Homura shouldn't do this alone.

_She must be burdening herself with work to stop herself from grieving._

"Wh-When are you leaving?"

"As soon as possible, mostly likely after noon once I've packed."

"Let me come with you." Mami said. "I know some of the mahou shoujo in their territories. I can keep you safe."

"No." Homura responded in cold voice. "I need you and Sakura-san to stay and keep Mitakihara safe."

"But what about you?" Mami pleaded. "You'll be going through unknown territory, are you sure about this?"

"Just let her go Mami-san, it's obvious she's made up her mind. She's a big girl now, she can handle herself." Kyoko reasoned.

Mami seemed torn on what to do. Homura tried to comfort her.

"Tomoe-san, I promise I will be fine. I won't be gone longer than two weeks."

Mami gave up. She knew she couldn't convince Homura out of this.

"Fine, but if you don't come back in two weeks, then I will find you, and drag you back here." Mami said sternly.

Homura nodded. "Thank you Tomoe-san. Make sure Sakura-san doesn't rob my place okay." Homura gave the blonde a small smile. The smile was forced but it was an attempt to cheer Mami up, and it worked.

She brightened up immediately. "Will do!"

The two gave their formal goodbyes to Homura and then left the house to let her pack.

_Mitakihara Train station_

Homura stood at the station waiting for the train that headed to the next city. While she was there, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

She repeatedly looked around herself but saw no one suspicious. The long haired girl only brought a black and purple backpack that had some money, food and water with her. The majority of her supplies were stored in her shield, but she couldn't keep transforming into a mahou shoujo whenever she needed money, so a backpack was necessary.

That feeling of being watched struck again, looking around, no one caught her attention.

_Maybe I'm just being paranoid._

She touched the ribbon in her hair for some comfort. The only reminder of the one she loved most.

Back in the city, Kyoko and Mami were having lunch in a cafe. Mami was still worried about Homura of course, but forced herself to forget the issue. She'll be fine, she can handle herself.

Near the mahou shoujo, a group of girls could be heard gossiping.

"Did you guys see the news last night?"

"No, I was at party with Nakamura. Why, what happened?

"Apparently the US had suffered a massive terrorist attack in one of their big cities."

"No way, I thought terrorism was at an all time low."

"Get this, they're also saying that the Japanese are responsible for the attack."

"What? How?"

"The news didn't say much, but apparently they got an anonymous call that accused us of this."

"Jesus, it was probably just stupid prank call." The two began to drift off to other subjects.

Mami turned her attention back to the redhead. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah I did." Kyoko took a bite out of one of her apples. "Typical American behavior. Always trying to blame anyone but themselves for their problems."

The ponytailed girl continued to bite into her apple. "Still, why the Japanese? I mean, North Korea might've been a better scapegoat since they're still obsessed with making nukes."

That night Mami switched on news to see if this was really true. Kyoko went out alone for a Wraith hunt. Since the Wraiths stopped fighting back, it should be a slaughter. Kyoko also promised to call Mami telepathically if she ran into any trouble.

It turns all out, all news stations were talking about this, as new information continued to come in about the issue.

Some people thought is was just a terrorist that just happened to be Japanese. Others thought it was a planned attack by the Japanese government. Theories only got crazier from there.

In the middle of Mami watching more insane theories cooked up by the news, Kyoko came back with some extra Grief Stones to store away. Mami kept a stash of Grief Stones that would only be used in emergency situations.

"So, you learn anything?"

"Nothing useful." Mami said, switching off the television.

"It's not like this is gonna affect us anyway, nor can we do anything about it. So just forget about it and move on."

"You're probably right." Mami then realised something and looked at Kyoko in shock. "Wow, you seem to be a valuable source of reason today Kyoko-chan. Did you hit your head or something?" Mami joked.

"Very funny, living with you is just making me soft." Kyoko grinned. Mami smiled brightly back.

In the other city, Homura was following a small group of Wraiths. So far she hadn't run into any other mahou shoujo, which was a relief.

It turns out that the Wraiths were acting strangely here too.

_What could have caused this? Who has the power to do this?_ Homura continued to follow the group of Wraiths until a large red scythe appeared and cut through them instantly.

When the Wraiths fully dissipated, they revealed a young girl wearing a red dress with black markings all over it. No doubt, she was the mahou shoujo of this territory. Her red soul gem rested on her left shoulder.

_Wait, that's it! It had to have been a wish. Someone must have made a wish that affected the Wraiths._

The other girl lifted her scythe and got into a battle pose.

"Get out of here, this city is mine. Leave at once!"

**Authors Note: I apologise if I offended any Americans with Kyoko's comment. I realise this chapter was very exposition heavy, hopefully I can find a good balance between story and character in later chapters. Remember to review!**


	3. Chapter 3: News

Homura raised her hands above her head. "Please calm down, I am not here to take over your city."

The other girl eyed her suspiciously. "If you're not here for that, then what are you here for?" Her short purple hair flowed slightly in the warm breeze.

"I am here to investigate the Wraiths in this area. When I am done, I will leave."

The other girl lowered her guard slightly. "Hmm, so the Wraiths acted differently in your territory too?" Homura nodded. The other girl sighed and bent down to pick up the Grief Stones that laid on the ground.

"I apologise for bothering you." Homura said before turning around and headed back to the hotel room she had booked for a few days.

She took a few steps before the purple haired girl called out to her.

"Hey, where are you going anyway?" Homura tilted her head towards the other girl. "My hotel room, I'll be here for a few days before I leave. Hopefully I can find the cause this change soon."

"Hang on, I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I still don't completely trust you, so I need to make sure you aren't going to steal any Grief Stones." The other girl said, as she came up behind the ex-time traveler. "If you aren't planning anything behind my back, then this shouldn't be problem right?"

Homura nodded and continued her way back, not wanting to antagonise the mahou shoujo of the city.

Luckily she only followed her back to the hotel and didn't try to enter. "So what's your name?" The girl asked before Homura could enter the building.

"Homura Akemi."

"I see, I'm Aka Juri. It's nice to meet you." Aka smiled at her. It was now Homura's turn to eye the other girl suspiciously. Homura said nothing and entered the building, leaving Aka to get back to her Wraith hunt.

_Mitakihara, the next day_

Mami walked to school with Kyoko, the redhead tried to get rise out of her but to no avail. She was too deep in thought, most likely worrying about Homura.

To say that the news about the terrorist attack and America's accusation of Japan was the hottest topic would have been an understatement. You couldn't walk anywhere in the school without hearing someone talking about this. Even the teachers were speaking among themselves about it.

Kyoko was devouring her food in the cafeteria, Mami seated on the other side of the table, her food had only been half eaten. She too was thinking about the topic of the terrorist attack.

When Kyoko finished her food, which didn't take long, she watched Mami for a few moments before sighing.

The blonde snapped back to reality when the ponytail redhead grabbed her wrist and started to pull her away.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Mami asked as Kyoko continued to pull her.

"We're going to the arcade, you need to cheer up, I don't want you turning into another Homura." Kyoko joked.

"We can't just ditch school!"

"With the way you're in, you aren't going to do very well in class anyway."

"But what if someone sees us leave?" Mami continued to complain. She felt a strange sense of familiarity about this situation, except with reversed roles.

"You're acting like I don't know how to sneak out of school."

Homura woke up late that day. She laid in the hotel bed, her long black hair, messy and ragged thanks to bed hair. She needed to find the girl that made the wish that changed the Wraiths_. I swore to protect this world, and I will keep that promise._

Aka had been ruled out, she said she had noticed a change in the Wraiths, which meant she had made her wish before the change. _So who did it then?_

It was then Homura realised what she had gotten herself into. The one who had made the wish could've been have been anywhere in the world. The chances of that person being in Japan of all places were extremely slim at best.

_It might not even from a wish at all. Something else could have done this._

Homura curled up slightly in bed. She was starting to doubt herself. _Can I really protect this world Madoka? What if I'm not strong enough? I don't have anything left to fight for, maybe I should just let things be, and someday, I can be by your side._

Her soul gem began to darken with corruption.

_No._

She got up and slapped herself across the face. _You can do this. You have Tomoe-san and Sakura-san to fight for, you have to save them._

Mami and Kyoko's fates were in her hands. She couldn't abandon them. She had to get the Wraiths back to normal if she wanted them to survive.

After calming herself down, she realized she needed to eat, now. Her stomach grumbled loudly in the room, waiting to be filled. _Is this how Sakura-san feels all the time?_

After ordering room service to eat, her thoughts lingered on the redhead. It had shocked Homura to learn that the redhead was nice to her in this world. She had gotten so used to her being, well less than friendly. They had a mutual partnership to take down Walpurgisnacht. It had become a regular thing to recruit the redhead as soon as possible to her fight.

Sure the redhead's near constant insistence to eat annoyed her, but after many timelines, she grew to almost enjoy her company, and there were moments that she could actually make her smile. _Great, I'm actually getting nostalgic._

After room service, Homura set out to explore the city.

_Mitakihara_

Kyoko and Mami were playing a dancing game in the arcade. Kyoko was winning of course, but Mami was doing surprisingly well. The two were absolutely beat after the game.

_Kyoko-chan was right. This is what I needed to take my mind off things._

After a bite to eat, the mahou shoujo were approached by Kyubey.

_Do you need something?_ Mami asked telepathically.

"I am here to inform you two that you must leave this city soon."

This got Mami's full attention. _What? Why?_

Kyubey proceeded to explain the current situation. Mami was in shock that this was happening; even Kyoko was at a loss for words.

"I guess this really does affect us." Mami whispered to herself.

_What about Homura-chan? Have you told her yet?_ Kyoko asked.

Kyubey shook its head. "She will be informed soon."

_Please, tell her to come back so we can go together._ Mami asked, she wouldn't let Homura go alone, not for something this serious.

_Will they really ignite a war? _Kyoko asked_. I mean, how could they even accomplish that?_

"I don't know, you will have to ask them about this at the meeting." Kyubey then left without another word, leaving Kyoko and Mami to mull things over. They left for their home, still trying to comprehend the situation.

Things just seemed to be going downhill for the mahou shoujo. First Sayaka died, then Homura became cold and stopped hanging out with them, now this.

When they got home, Kyoko let out a long tired sigh. "Urgh, why did they choose Tokyo of all places?"

"It is the capital, so I guess it makes sense. Still, we're not going until Homura-chan gets back." Kyoko nodded and got a small snack from the fridge.

Mami decided that she may as well get started on packing for the journey.

When Homura left the hotel she was immediately confronted by Aka.

"Hi Akemi-san!"

Homura blinked a few times before answering.

"Err, hello, Juri-san." _Why is she here?_

"So, you want me to give you a tour of the city?"

_Well this is a surprise._ "Why, you were eager to get rid of me just last night? Why the change?"

Aka laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "Wow, straight to the point huh? I just knee jerked last night. That's all, and well, I am still suspicious of you somewhat. You see, I haven't met any other mahou shoujo before that didn't try to take my city. If you really are telling the truth, then I would like to get to know you, if that's okay." Aka turned away, embarrassed.

Homura sighed mentally. _Not the smartest mahou shoujo. Still, she might be useful._

"Very well, I think I could use a break from things anyway."

"Really? Then I know the perfect place to clear out stress!"

_Night_

The sun had fallen, and the Wraiths began come into the night. Just like last time, they didn't attack anyone and had begun to leave the city.

Kyubey watched as the Wraiths moved out to its intended destination.

Another Incubator, mainly blue with a tint of white with blue rings around its ears, approached Kyubey.

"How long will this distract them?"

"Long enough, Kenbey."

"Are you sure this will be successful? Your efforts in America didn't go as planned."

"A minor setback, I have learned from my mistake."

"Very well, just prepare for questioning by Dranbey's mahou shoujo."

Kenbey disappeared into the darkness. Kyubey moved its head to scan the area; it wasn't long before it located Homura Akemi.

Homura and Aka hung out of the roof tops, watching the Wraiths.

"So how are you going to figure out what changed the Wraiths? Just run up and ask them?"

"Honestly...I have no idea, but I know I have to do something."

"Well, I gotta start cleaning these guys up, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow? I had fun, even if I did most of the talking."

The dark haired girl nodded, her experience with Aka was indeed a nice distraction. Even though the topic she could her the most from the people in the city was the apparent terrorist attack by the Japanese.

At that moment Kyubey dropped down in front of them. _So Kyubey owns this city too?_

"Oh hey Kyubey, do you need something?" Aka asked.

"I must inform the two of you of a very serious situation."

"What is it Incubator?" The sight of the little thing was never pleasant to Homura.

"You must return to Mitakihara at once. Your friends want you to go with them to Tokyo."

"Whys that?"

Kyubey paused for a moment before delivering the news. "All mahou shoujo from all of Japan are being called for a meeting in Tokyo. The mahou shoujo from the human country of America, are headed to Japan."

**Authors Note: Is it a good idea to leave a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter, or do you guys hate it?**

**I just noticed that there is a lot of eating in this chapter. Hahaha. Probably because of a recent chapter in a madoka story where it was centered around eating. xD. I know! Every time a character is mentioned eating in this story, you take a shot!**

**Actually wait, don't do that if you're under aged.**


	4. Chapter 4: Double

"Why?" It was all Homura could say.

"They are very angry about this "terrorist" attack. They say that if they do not receive answers from the Japanese, then they themselves will cause a war between the two countries." Kyubey explained. "You two will need to head to Tokyo to meet and make peace with them."

"Wait! I can't do that!" Aka objected. "I need to go to school, I have my mother to take care of!"

"Then why didn't you go to school today?" Homura asked suspiciously.

"Oh, hehehe, I've actually been suspended. Don't ask why." Aka said nervously.

"In any case." Kyubey continued. "They have requested all mahou shoujo to come. Though, it may not be possible for many mahou shoujo to attend at all. It's likely that there may not be a lot that will be able to attend anyway due to family or financial issues."

Aka put her hand on her chin and seemed to be thinking. She dropped her hand and sighed. "Well, I can't stand around here, I gotta start killing Wraiths." Aka turned her head to the dark haired girl. "I guess we'll part ways here then? I'm not one for sappy goodbyes, so...good luck in Tokyo." With that, she ran off in the opposite direction. Homura watched her go as she struck down the first Wraith in sight.

"Well Homura Akemi, will you be attending this meeting?" Kyubey asked.

"You already know my answer to that."

_Mitakihara_

Kyoko continued to slash right through a group of Wraiths. The fact that they didn't fight back anymore made the hunts almost boring for her. She had also noticed that they were getting less than the usual amount of Grief Stones.

_Homura-chan better fix this issue soon. _Kyoko thought as she picked up the stones.

The redhead looked around herself and saw no one, human or Wraith. A week ago, the three were on an almost constant battle with the Wraiths at night. Now the night was like a dessert for them. Kyoko ran to another place of the city to find more to kill.

She jumped across rooftops to find any Wraith to destroy, she found nothing however. She sighed and headed for the skyscraper they would meet on to split the Grief Stones.

When Kyoko got there, Mami was no where to be seen.

Kyoko sat down with her back to a wall waiting for Mami to come back. She soon realised that this was the same place she almost pushed Homura of the edge. The girl chuckled at the memory.

The group were fighting a few Wraiths on top of the building. In the ensuing battle, Kyoko jumped to dodged a Wraith attack, only to smack into Homura nearly sending her off the edge. Homura wasn't very good at flying at the time, so to say they were mad at her was an understatement.

She got herself a good smack upside the head by Mami, and both Homura and Sayaka didn't speak to her for about a week. Though, Homura was the first to forgive her, the girl could never keep a grudge against someone for very long. The new Homura on the other hand...

_If something like that happened again now, she'd probably kill me._

Kyoko thought back to her previous conversation with the raven haired girl. It didn't seem like she was grieving or anything, in fact she seemed, relatively normal, well as normal as a girl that was once sweet and happy turned cold and bitchy anyway.

_Was it really Sayaka that caused this? Or was it something else?_

The girl shook her head at the thought. Of course it was Sayaka, the timing was too perfect. Still, Kyoko couldn't help but feel something off.

_Goddamn idiot. Getting herself killed like that? Did she not care about Homura-chan's feelings?_

The crimson haired girl thought back to that day. The moment Sayaka Miki gave up her life and turned Homura Akemi into a colder person.

_Wait._

Kyoko suddenly remembered something. After Sayaka died, Homura said something.

_Dammit, what did she say?_

She racked her brain in an attempt to remember, but she couldn't.

Giving up, she saw that Mami still hadn't got back yet. She figured a quick nap couldn't hurt.

Homura flew above Mitakihara, looking downwards, there weren't any Wraiths anywhere. This issue needed to be solved, fast. She headed towards the same skyscraper they would normally meet at after a hunt, only to find...a sleeping Kyoko.

Homura landed as softly as possible, letting her wings disappear behind herself. She couldn't help but smile at the image before her. For someone who was usually very loud and active, she seemed way too peaceful when sleeping. The smile on the redhead's face showed that Kyoko must have been having a good dream.

Homura was about to wake up the sleeping redhead when Mami reached the top of the tower. The blonde instantly glomped the brunette from behind without mercy.

"Hey, Tomoe-san!?"

"So glad your back Homura-chan!"

"I wasn't even gone for two days, argh! Crushing...windpipe..."

Mami grip only seemed to tighten, and the feel of her,err, upper assets on Homura's back didn't exactly help.

"Jesus, get a room you two." Kyoko commented. It seemed the commotion had woken her up. "If you two are going to bang each other, could you at least do it in private?" The redhead said while rubbing her eyes.

"Oh please, you know you want in on this action." Mami retorted.

"Can't argue with that."

Homura started to turn red at where this conversation was headed and immediately pried herself away from the blonde's grasp. The girl cleared her throat, partially to check if it was working and partially get the others attention.

"How about we actually get to business, okay?" Her head turned to the blonde. "Tomoe-san, did anything happen while I was away?"

"Did you get Kyubey's message?"

Homura nodded.

"Then other than that, not really."

Homura looked concerned. "How much time do we have before the Americans get to Tokyo?" Kyubey chose this moment to show itself to answer her question.

"Approximately nine days from now." It said, sitting right on the edge of the building. "All attending mahou shoujo must meet at the Tokyo Tower before getting further instructions."

"What the hell does 'further instructions' mean?" Kyoko asked, now fully awake.

"I do not have that knowledge. I am only relaying what their Incubator has told me. It too, will be coming to Japan." Kyubey's tail flicked around for a moment.

"So their Incubator is coming as well." Homura murmured. "What do they hope to achieve by coming here anyway? What if we can't provide them with the answers they want?"

"Let's just hope we can." Mami said, ending the current topic.

Mami and Kyoko counted their Grief Stones and realised it wasn't enough to cleanse all three of them. Homura started to back away, anticipating what was going to happen next.

"Homura-chan, let me see your soul gem." Mami asked.

"I'm fine Tomoe-san." Homura said, hiding her hand behind her back. Mami noticed this and knew she was lying.

"Show me Homura-chan."

"I said I'm fi-" Mami grabbed her arm and forced her to show the soul gem on her the back of her hand. Mami breathed sigh of relief. It wasn't as bad as she thought, but it was worse than she hoped.

"At least take one." The blonde said, offering one of her few Grief Stones. The brunette shook her head.

"Really, I don't ne-" Mami rolled eyes and pressed the Grief Stone against Homura's soul gem. The situation was far from comfortable for the dark haired girl. The girl turned her head in another direction as the stone drained what corruption it could before being filled to its capacity limit. When Mami was finished, she threw the Grief Stone in Kyubey's direction.

After Kyoko and Mami cleansed what they could from their limited number of Grief Stones, they asked Homura what happened in the other city. Homura gave them a quick run down on events that happened.

"So you didn't find out anything about the Wraiths?" Kyoko asked.

"No, I only have a theory. My guess is that someone somewhere made a wish, and that wish affected the Wraiths somehow."

Silence enveloped the group. They all knew that if they couldn't fix this Wraith problem, then their days were numbered. However the issue with the Americans had to take priority at the moment.

"Come on Homura-chan, were going to my place for some and tea and cake." Mami announced. Before Homura could decline, Kyoko appeared behind her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Sorry Homura-chan, you can't say no this time." Homura sighed in resignation and followed them home.

At Mami's home, they talked about the latest gossip at school, the new video games and anime that were coming out. They talked as if they were normal people, not mahou shoujo who had to deal with Wraiths every night. Homura stayed quiet though out most of the night, but threw in her own comments every now and then.

Mami and Kyoko were slowly but surely opening Homura back up again.

When the clock struck midnight. They decided that it was time to go to sleep. Homura stood up to leave but was interrupted by Mami.

"Why not stay the night?" Mami asked. "It's way too late to be out right now." Homura was too tired to argue, so she agreed and chose to sleep on the couch.

Homura all of a sudden found herself in a black space. She got up and looked around herself.

_Where am I?_

The girl could hear some voices in front of her, she couldn't help but move towards the sound. Each step she took created water-like ripples at her feet. Soon the voices became coherent enough to understand.

"Hey, do you want to go to the music store today Sayaka-chan?"

Homura froze. Her eyes widened, that was most definitely her own voice. She then heard a familiar voice respond.

"Sure Homura-chan. I got a CD I need to buy anyway."

Without a doubt, that voice belonged to Sayaka Miki.

_What the hell is going on here?_

Homura continued forward to find the source of the voices. Along the way, she heard more snippets of random conversations.

"Homura-chan, how'd you do on that math test?"

"Not very well."

"Yay, were both failures!"

"Well we all know that math means Mental Abuse To Humans."

It was awhile before Homura reached a large clear box with chains wrapped around it. Homura stepped slowly towards it to peer inside. The girl wasn't ready for what was in there. Homura's eyes widened and her breath had been caught in her throat at the sight.

It was another Homura. The other Homura laid sleeping inside the box in her mahou shoujo outfit.

Without thinking, Homura raised her hand to touch the box, but when she did, a bolt of electricity shot through her. Homura screamed in pain.

The raven haired girl woke up panting. She tried to slow her breathing down before her heart could explode.

_It was just a dream._

Homura touched the ribbon to help calm herself down. Her other hand clutched her chest.

_What that really a dream? Or was it something more?_

**Authors Note: I apologise if the story is moving a little slowly. I promise that it will pick up soon...hopefully. Please review to give me your thoughts. It's the only way I can improve and gain the motivation to continue. **


	5. Chapter 5: Levity

**Authors Note: Sorry I haven't updated this in awhile, I just had a burst of inspiration to write another Madoka story. That doesn't mean I've forgotten about this one though. There are some major milestones in this story I really want to reach.**

Only Mami left for school, she would be the one the inform the teachers of their sudden leave for Tokyo, leaving Homura and Kyoko to take of her house and organise the journey. They still had time before they had to leave the city.

Homura sat at Mami's computer, planning their trip. They would be going half way across Japan, so things needed to be figured out beforehand. The raven haired girl had some trouble concentrating that day, and would space out every now and again.

"Hey, Homura-chan, are you okay?" Kyoko asked. The dark haired girl was even more distant than usual.

"I've just got some things on my mind, don't worry about it." In truth, Homura was still thinking about the dream she had. She tried to push it out of her mind but it wouldn't leave. In particular, the moment she saw herself trapped in that box remained in her mind.

Something felt off about that dream, and it unnerved her. Kyoko snapped her fingers in front of Homura's face to bring her back to reality.

"I'm sorry what?" Homura asked, not hearing what Kyoko said properly.

The redhead sighed. "I asked if you want to go to the arcade with me today. You look stressed."

"I'm not stressed." Homura retorted.

"Right." Kyoko said sarcastically. "And my boobs are as big Mami-san's."

Homura turned around and stared at Kyoko with a raised eyebrow at the comment.

Kyoko was silent for moment. "Okay I swear that sounded way less creepy in my head." Kyoko stated.

Homura shook her head. She stood up and headed for the door.

"Hey, where are you going ?" Kyoko asked.

Homura titled her head towards the redhead. "You invited me to the arcade right? So what are you waiting for?" Homura said with a small smile.

She figured a small break would get that dream out of her head.

_Mitakihara Middle School_

Mami ate lunch alone, contemplating their current situation.

_The Wraiths suddenly just stop fighting, and they all start leaving the city, but where to? We need their Grief Stones in order to survive._

_We have to be careful with the amount of magic we use._

Mami took a sip of her drink.

_Then there's the Americans. They suffer a terrorist attack, and then accuse the Japanese of doing it, but why? _

The blonde bit into a biscuit.

_We have just over a week to get to Tokyo and explain our situation. What will happen when we meet? Will we fight and spark war? Or will this somehow end peacefully?_

Mami grabbed her hair in frustration. Things used to be so simple for the Mahou Shoujo of Mitakihara. Get through school, feed Kyoko, then fight Wraiths at night.

"Tomoe-san?" Said a voice. Mami looked to her left and saw it belonged to Hitomi Shizuki.

"Do you need something Shizuki-san?" Mami asked.

"Yes, I need to talk to you." Hitomi replied. She took a seat opposite of the blonde.

"So what is it Shizuki-san?"

Hitomi looked around nervously before speaking. "Two things I want to talk about actually, umm, the first is, well, it's about Sayaka."

"Sayaka Miki? What about her?"

"It's just, do you know anything, anything at all about what happened to her?" Hitomi asked, she was clearly desperate for answers about her friend. No one could blame her though. Sayaka Miki was still listed as 'missing' according to official reports.

When Sayaka died, there was no body left to recover. Soon the police will give up, and her case will simply be buried. It was a cruel fate that awaited all Mahou Shoujo who fought Wraiths.

"I'm sorry Shizuki-san, but if I knew anything, I would have gone to the police already." Mami couldn't stand to watch Hitomi's disappointed face as she gave her answer.

"I see, Homura-chan said the same thing."

"I'm sorry Shizuki-san."

Hitomi shook her head. "No it's okay, anyway, the second thing I wanted to talk about was...Homura-chan."

_Arcade_

"Please?"

"No."

Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a giant cake on top?"

"...No."

Kyoko asked Homura over and over to play DDR with her. The dark haired girl refused every time, but the redhead wasn't about to give up.

"Okay, how about I buy you lunch?"

"You know it's Tomoe-san's money your using, right?" Homura said.

Hey! It's the thought that counts." Kyoko replied. "Come on, it will be fun, please?" It was clear Kyoko wouldn't give up until Homura agreed.

Homura sighed. "...Fine, but this is the only time where I will agree to something like this, got it?"

Kyoko nearly jumped for joy over that fact she had finally been able convince the withdrawn girl to play the game.

_Mitakihara Middle School _

"Homura-chan?" Mami asked.

"Yes, do you know why she's become so...different?" Hitomi was also worried Homura's sudden change.

"I'm sorry but, I don't know the answer to that either." Mami felt bad for being able to give any clear answers to Hitomi.

"Don't worry though, it's a slow process, but I think we're getting her back to the way she was before." Mami said to reassure the green haired girl.

"Oh, well, that's good at least."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more." Mami said.

"No it's okay." Hitomi said as she stood up. "Thank you anyway."

"Wait." Mami said before Hitomi could leave. "One thing, Homura-chan, Kyoko-chan and I will be leaving Mitakihara for Tokyo tomorrow."

"What? Why?"

"It's kind of personal. Sorry, just thought you should know before we left."

"Okay then, well, goodbye and good luck with whatever it is you three are doing." Mami nodded as Hitomi left.

_I really am sorry Shizuki-san, but you can never find out the truth..._

_Arcade_

Kyoko was shocked at the surprising speed and skill Homura had at the game. The two were evenly matched as the song intensified and the moves had to be quick.

The two were panting after the game. Kyoko was starting to suspect what had happened.

"You...used...magic...didn't you?" Kyoko said between breaths.

"...Maybe." Homura responded with a smirk.

"I knew it!" Kyoko said, pointing a finger at Homura. "You cheater!"

"You're one to talk about cheating." That shut the redhead up. Homura knew that Kyoko cheated multiple times in class. Mami didn't know of course.

"Hey, I didn't choose the school life."

Mami trusted Kyoko, but just not enough to let her rampant throughout the city while the blonde was at school. So Mami decided to enrol Kyoko Sakura into Mitakihara Middle School.

Homura and Kyoko had no idea where Mami Tomoe got all of her money, considering she was only a middle school student. The brunette and redhead didn't even want to know where the money came from and just accepted the fact that Mami had a seemingly unlimited supply of cash somehow.

Homura and Kyoko left the arcade to find a place to eat. Kyoko did agree to buy Homura lunch after all. The two went out to get some fast food and sat themselves on one of the tables outside the place.

Kyoko was starting to like the new Homura. The redhead had a lot of fun teasing the old nervous Homura, but this one seemed much more fun to be around. Getting a reaction out of her was much harder, but that only made things even more enjoyable for the Kyoko.

The redhead caught herself staring at the girl sitting across her and starting choking on her soft drink. A few people stared at her, including Homura, who looked at her weirdly.

"Sorry." Kyoko said. Homura went right back eating.

Kyubey came seemingly out of nowhere and landed on Homura's hand that was resting on the table, his paw rested on her ring. Homura fought back the urge to strangle the little creature that just invaded her personal space.

"Shouldn't you two be headed to capital? This issue will not solve itself." Kyubey said.

"We still have time, everything will be fine." Homura said, with a slight trace of hostility in her voice.

"Very well." The alien jumped off Homura's hand and left.

"Well that was random." Kyoko commented. Homura only sighed and kept eating. The rest of their lunch went uninterrupted, Homura however, felt strange. Her head started to feel light, and her legs started to wobble.

After lunch, the two decided to get back to Mami's house. As they walked, Homura felt legs get weaker, until one of her knees hit the ground. Homura dropped her head down and her started breathing faster than normal.

_What the hell?_

She started to cough profusely, her eyelids began to feel heavy as she struggled to keep them open.

_What's going on?_

She clutched her chest, as a strange sensation began coursing through her body. Her vision started to blur, her entire body fell to the ground. She could faintly hear Kyoko calling her name as Homura let out one sentence.

"Madoka...help me."

She passed out.

**Authors Note: Okay I know not much happened in terms of plot in this chapter, but I felt like I needed at least one more moment of levity before the story picks up.**

**I'll try updating this and my other Madoka fanfic on a regular basis, but I can't make any promises.**


	6. Chapter 6: Arrival in Japan

Kyubey watched from a nearby rooftop as Kyoko carried the body of Homura Akemi to Mami's house. Kenbey watched the scene beside the other alien. "What just happened?" Kenbey asked.

"Her body just had a reaction to the modification." Kyubey answered.

"How long is the process?"

"From what she said, the time is based mostly on their mental condition. Considering the mental state of Homura Akemi, this will be a long process. It will most likely be months before anything significant happens."

"I'm curious, how did you receive authorisation to run two experiments at once?" Kenbey asked. However it didn't receive an answer from Kyubey. Kenbey chose to leave the scene after a few moments of silence.

Homura found herself back in the dream world, or wherever she really was. She got up, looking around the black space. nothing was different, until she realised she was in her Mahou Shoujo outfit. The voices could be heard again. Homura once again, followed the voices to the source, hearing another conversation along the way.

"So Homura-chan, what did you wish for?" Sayaka's voice asked.

"Oh, I...umm, err..."

The current Homura cringed at how she used to act.

Sayaka could be heard laughing. "Aww, you can't even tell your best friend what your wish was? My feelings have been hurt Homura-chan!"

"No it's not that!"

"Oh I know...I'll just make you my wife!"

"What?!"

"Then, you would have to tell me what your wish was!" The sounds of a struggle could be heard, as Homura could hear herself trying struggle away from Sayaka.

"Sayaka-chan, would you please stop saying things like that? It's embarrassing."

Homura wondered if these conversations were real or if they were just created by her mind. Homura being friendly with Kyoko was a long shot, but it wasn't completely unbelievable, considering their recent interaction with each other.

Being friends with Sayaka Miki of all people? That was something Homura Akemi could not fathom.

Before long, the large clear box appeared before her again. Homura looked into the box, seeing herself inside.

The body moved slightly, startling Homura. She wasn't able to understand her situation. What was the meaning the voices she heard? Why was there a double of herself inside a chained cube? Homura didn't know the answer to those questions as she watched her other self inside its prison.

She remembered what happened the last time she touched the box. Homura looked down at herself. She must've been in her Mahou Shoujo outfit for a reason.

_I have to do something I guess._

She summoned the bow in her hand. Homura sometimes missed the feel and weight of a gun in her hands, but she couldn't deny that the bow was very powerful and versatile in combat.

A magical arrow appeared when the string was pulled back. Homura charged the arrow, to make sure she could break the box in a single shot. After filling it with a sufficient amount of magic, she let the arrow fly.

The purple arrow froze in place when it made contact with its target. The sound of crackling electricity filled the area, causing Homura to cover her ears.

The arrow suddenly dislodged itself from the box and flew back towards Homura. Before she could react, the arrow struck her chest.

The dark haired girl awoke to a ceiling she didn't recognise. Like last time, her heart was pounding in her chest. Homura was glad that being a Mahou Shoujo healed all of her health problems. She tried to calm herself down, taking in slow deep breaths. It was after she calmed herself down, that she noticed someone else in the room.

She saw Kyoko's head, resting on her chest, her messy red hair illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

"Kyoko..." Homura whispered.

_It's night, was she really here the whole time?_

She tried pushing her head off but ended up using too much force and knocked Kyoko down to the ground, head first.

The redhead woke and started clutching the back of her head and cried out in pain. Homura couldn't help but grin at the scene before her.

"Ow, goddamnit. Oh?" Kyoko stopped yelling in pain when she saw that her friend was awake, but she still held onto the back of her head. "You're awake Homura-chan?"

"No, I'm still asleep. Everything you're seeing now is just a hallucination." Homura said dryly.

Kyoko groaned in pain. "Argh, you didn't have to crack the back of my skull you know."

"No one said you could use my chest as pillow." Homura retorted.

"Hey, you wouldn't wake up for hours! I considered dumping a bucket of water on you, but Mami-san wouldn't allow it."

_Note to self: thank Tomoe-san. _Homura then looked around the room she didn't recognise. "Where am I?"

"Mami-san's house, this is the guest room I sleep in. Mami-san's out Wraith hunting, she should be back soon."

_Outside_

Mami opened fire at more Wraiths from the side of an empty street. One by one, the Wraiths fell before her. She picked up the Grief Stones as fast as possible and moved on to another area. She had to kill as many possible before they all left the city to god knows where.

Kyubey rested on the blonde's shoulders as she continued her relentless assault on the Wraiths.

_Guest Room_

"What happened to you anyway?" Kyoko asked as she put a pocky into her mouth.

Homura shrugged. "I don't know, I just felt strange, weak, then I collapsed."

That dream, what the hell was it? Homura put a hand on her chest, the same spot where her own arrow had struck her.

"Wow, you must've just eaten something really bad." The pain on the back of Kyoko's head had finally subsided. "Do you feel better now?"

"I think so." Homura started to get up from the bed but Kyoko stopped her and pushed Homura back down on the bed.

"Woah there, you're not getting out of here that easily. Mami-san would kill me if you left before she got back."

"Fine." Homura said and just sat there, in silence. That is until a loud growling sound could be heard from her stomach. Kyoko stared at her for a moment, before grinning, taking out a packet of chips, and started eating them very slowly. The dark haired girl gave signs of nothing but hostility to the redhead.

It felt so good to Kyoko that she was successfully riling up the normally quiet girl. The raven haired girl gave her a death glare which caused the redhead to start laughing.

Homura sighed. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

"I try my best."

Kyoko finally stopped laughing after a while, but she was still grinning like an idiot as continued to eat, tantalising her friend. The redhead eventually offered some of the chips to the raven haired girl. The redhead decided that if she continued, her own life would be put in danger.

_Outside_

The blonde continued to search for more Wraiths, but soon figured it was hopeless. Mami knew she should be happy that the Wraiths would leave, and no longer kill. However, Homura's and Kyoko's existence hinged on the Grief Stones they collected. They needed the Wraiths to go back to normal.

Mami stared at the Grief Stones she was able to get that night. Sighing, she left for her home, to see how Homura was doing.

The blonde ditched school immediately, when she got the phone call from Kyoko, saying that Homura had collapsed. Homura slept through the rest of the day, and into the night where Mami had to leave for the Wraith hunt.

The blonde had never seen Kyoko so worried before. Mami thought about making a joke about the two being on a date, but the situation was far too serious for it. They found nothing wrong with the brunette that they could find. No sign of injury, her soul gem was more or less fine, so they assumed that she must have passed out from exhaustion or something.

Entering her house, she found that everything was the same way she left it, meaning that Kyoko was still watching over Homura. After storing stones, she went to the guest room to check on Homura. Before she entered, she could hear some crunching sound from inside.

Mami opened the door very slowly, just enough to peek inside with one eye. What she found was definitely unexpected. Homura was awake, she was okay. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. The dark haired girl was sharing a packet of chips with Kyoko. The two weren't conversing, just having a silent snack. Mami found the whole scene to be absolutely adorable.

_I should probably leave them alone._

Before could leave, Homura called out to her. "I know you're there Tomoe-san!" Mami froze on the spot, before walking though the door trying to look casual.

"So are you okay Homura-chan?" Mami asked when reached the bed.

"Yes, I'm fine." Homura tried again to leave but this time Mami stopped her.

"Wait, are you sure you're fine? You passed out just this afternoon. You don't feel anything strange at all?"

"No, I was probably just tired, or something. Look I need to get home, we're leaving tomorrow, I need to prepare a few things." Homura said. Kyoko could see that the blonde was hesitant to let her go out alone. The Wraiths were gone for the night, but that didn't mean it wasn't still dangerous for a young girl to be out this late.

"I'll take her back home Mami-san. I can bring her back if she collapses on us again." Kyoko said.

"That isn't necessary, I feel perfectly fine." Homura argued, she didn't need this right now.

"No, it's far too late to be out alone, Kyoko-chan will take you back home, and that's that." Mami said, putting an end to the argument.

Homura sighed. _If there's one thing Tomoe-san is good at, is worrying needlessly about others. _The raven haired girl knew no one could win an argument against Mami when she was in her "motherly" mode.

As expected, no trouble arose as the two made the walk home. Kyoko didn't try to make conversation, which was surprising to Homura. When the dark haired girl reached her home, Kyoko finally spoke up.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong you want to talk about?" The redhead asked when Homura opened her front door.

The question threw her off guard for a moment. "No." Homura said as she entered her house while closing the door behind herself.

_The Next Day_

Homura slept through the night, luckily without being in that strange dream place again. She woke up about an hour before her alarm was supposed to go off. She tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't.

Homura had packed everything she needed last night in her shield. Her time shield remained in the new world, but it couldn't manipulate time anymore. It could still store a limitless amount of objects within it though.

When the ex-time traveler was thrown into Madoka's new universe, her weapons remained in her shield. Homura had yet to reveal the weapons to the other two Mahou Shoujo, knowing that showing them would bring up unwanted questions.

Homura got out of bed, she didn't even bother changing into her pyjamas last night, the dark haired girl was just too tired to change.

She started fixing herself up some instant noodles to eat, the girl could cook, but she rarely bothered doing so. Her thoughts drifted to situation with the Americans.

_Something doesn't feel right, why are we all meeting at Tokyo Tower? That terrorist attack, it had to be Mahou Shoujo related. It's the only reason as to why the American Mahou Shoujo even requested this meeting in the first place._

Communication wouldn't be a problem for them, as Kyubey already explained that all Mahou Shoujo can understand each other no matter what language they spoke. It was more convenient for the Incubators this way.

_Mami's House_

The house mates ate pancakes made by the blonde herself. Kyoko wasn't stuffing her face like usual, which almost unnerved the blonde, seeing Kyoko like this. It wasn't long before the redhead finally spoke about what was on her mind.

"Mami-san, do you know, who 'Madoka' is?"

"Madoka? Like I said before, the only thing I found out, is that Madoka is the name of an imaginary friend of Tatsuya Kaname. Other than that, I haven't found anything new. Did something bring this up Kyoko-chan?"

"Yeah, right before Homura-chan passed out, she called out to her."

"Really?" This confirmed Mami's suspicions that Madoka was an important person to Homura. "She must be important to Homura-chan if she called out to her. Did you ask Homura-chan about this?"

The redhead shook her head. "Not directly, no."

"We should just be patient then." Mami reasoned. "Not matter how much she's changed, we're still her friends, I'm sure she'll tell us eventually."

"I hope your right about that."

_Homura's House_

The raven haired girl rechecked everything she had for the third time after breakfast. She decided to keep a few spare weapons within her home, just incase something would happen. The dark haired girl took one last look at her house, before leaving for the capital of Japan.

It was a strange feeling, after living in the same house for over a hundred timelines, she had grown a strange attachment to it. She would be going halfway across the entire country, to solve a problem she had nothing to do with, she felt like she wouldn't be seeing her home again. Homura shook those thoughts away.

_What the hell am I thinking? _Homura could feel a slight headache, it wasn't as bad as yesterday before she passed out, but it was still there.

The doorbell soon rang._ That will be them._ She went to answer the door. _Time to leave._

_Unknown Location_

Several Military drop ships entered Japanese airspace undetected. They were masking the signal the ships would make so they were undetectable by radar.

The ships were filled mostly young girls. Some of them them were nearing adulthood, and some were adults themselves. Some girls talked amongst themselves, while some stayed silent throughout the whole trip.

The drop ships landed in a base set up outside of Tokyo. A woman with long flowing black hair exited the ship first, and was met with younger woman with short blonde hair.

"Lieutenant Reavys!" She said, saluting to her superior officer.

"At ease." The lieutenant responded. "I want a squad to escort the girls to their living quarters immediately."

"Yes sir." The woman brought up a communicator on her arm to her mouth and spoke into it. "This is Sergeant Talitha. Squad 4 to the LZ. I repeat, Squad 4 to the LZ, over."

"Roger that. Squad 4 en route to the LZ, over."

Afterwards, the Sergeant lead the Lieutenant into a tent, where footage of creature was being played. A few people watched what little footage they had on the monster. The lieutenant watched it with disgust.

_To think, such a foul creature could appear in my home city._

The creature had the body of what looked like a spider, but instead of legs, it had human looking arms coming from the body to help it move. The neck was long and snake like, while the head looked similar to that of a Wraith, except it could shoot lasers from its mouth. The thing was about twice as big as a Wraith as well.

The combined might of the Mahou Shoujo and the American military brought down the monster, but a large cost. Most of the city was destroyed in the ensuing battle and many lives were lost that day.

_Train Station_

The three Mahou Shoujo waited at the station for their train to arrive, which should only be in a few minutes. Kyoko and Mami wore backpacks containing what they needed, they didn't expect to stay in Tokyo for very long.

The plan was to travel to the nearest city that had an airport, which was Sutoraiki city. The train ride would take a few hours, then they would eat lunch before getting on a plane to take them to Tokyo, where they had booked a hotel room to stay in. The girls had Mami to thank for her rich supply of yen to use.

When the trio got on the train, Homura heard a familiar voice. "Akemi-san?" The dark haired girl turned towards the voice that was at a seat. "Oh, Juri-san, you're here too?"

"Yep, I had to cash in on a few favors, but I can now attend the meeting Tokyo. I don't know how I can help, but I can't sit by and do nothing." Aka said. She gestured to some nearby empty seats for the Mitakiharara trio to take. Mami and Kyoko sat next to the purple haired girl to introduce themselves.

"Are you two Akemi-san's friends?" Aka asked.

"Yeah, I'm Mami Tomoe, pleasure to meet you." Mami said, being formal.

"Name's Kyoko Sakura." The redhead introduced. "You're the one Homura-chan met when she searched for a way to fix the Wraiths right?"

"Yeah I am." Aka noticed the rings the two had, they were Mahou Shoujo, just like she was._ Wait, do all three share the same territory?_

"Hang on, if you three are...well, you know." She couldn't exactly say that they were Mahou Shoujo on a train, even though there weren't many people on yet, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention. "Do you all share the same territory?"

"Yeah, we do." Kyoko answered. "Although I actually fought Mami-san for the city when I first met her."

"Really?" That surprised Aka, seeing how they were cooperating with each other now. "What made you change your mind to work with her now?"

"Well, getting your own ass handed to you over and over again, kinda forces you to open up your options." Kyoko said sheepishly. She didn't like admitting that she lost to Mami, not once, but so many times that the redhead lost count.

Homura could see that Aka was definitely a curious Mahou Shoujo. The dark haired girl sat on the seat near a window, and merely watched the scenery pass by as the train continued its course.

The transportation vehicle stopped at it's next destination. The doors opened to allow people in and out. During it all, the dark haired girl saw someone enter that she hadn't seen for many timelines. That familiar white hair, those green eyes...

_It can't be..._

Right behind her, was a shorter, black haired girl with orange eyes. She was clinging onto the arm of the white haired girl quite tightly from what Homura saw. There was no doubt now.

It was Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure.

Oriko's eyes met those of Homura Akemi for a single moment. A strange sense of familiarity hit Oriko, she felt like she should know her.

_Who is she?_

Boldly, Oriko decided to ask the girl herself. Homura tried to look away, but it was far too late for that.

"Excuse me." Oriko said, with that same amount of elegance she had when they met in one of the irregular timelines. "Have we met before?"

**Authors Note: Sutoraiki City is just something I made up. I don't think it exists in the show.**

**Also, I am not the most informed person about the way things are done in the military. I will try and make it as believable as possible, but I may screw a few things up on accident.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7: Pre-emptive Strike

"I don't think so." Homura denied immediately. _How much does she know?_

Oriko tilted her head to the side. "Odd, I feel like I know you from somewhere." The train started moving again, Homura's eyes began darting in different directions, which Oriko noticed.

_She's hiding something._

The white haired girl lowered her eyes to the black haired girl's hands, seeing the ring she had._ So she's one of us then. _

Oriko smiled sweetly. "Oh my, where are my manners. I suppose I should introduce myself." Oriko extended her hand for Homura to shake.

"I'm Oriko Mikuni. Nice to meet you."

Homura's mind was spinning at her current situation. Befriending Sayaka Miki seemed like a small thing in comparison to what was happening now. Here was a person that tried to kill her, and had successfully murdered Madoka in an irregular timeline, but now she was acting like she wanted to be friends.

Homura realised she was hesitating. She couldn't afford to do anything that looked suspicious. So Homura shook the white haired girl's hand, noticing her ring. _She's a Mahou Shoujo in this world as well. _"Nice to meet you too. I'm Homura Akemi."

"That's a nice name."

"Um, thanks, you too." Homura could feel a few pairs of eyes focused on the two of them. Kyoko, Mami and Aka were watching the scene with great interest. The blonde and redhead in particular. For the probability of someone walking up to Homura and actually being able to make conversation with her were about the same as Kyoko going on a diet.

Kirika stood back, watching the exchange as well. She would've interfered the first chance she had but Oriko had already told her through telepathy to not do anything.

After shaking, instead of pulling away, Oriko's fingers started caressing the ring on Homura's hand. She flinched at the sudden movement.

"Well Akemi-san, can I assume you're here for the same reason I am?"

"If you mean the Americans, then yes."

Oriko removed her hand from Homura's. "I hope we can resolve this problem with the foreigners soon then. It was nice meeting you." She then took a seat out of earshot from Homura's location with Kirika.

"Looks like Homura-chan has made a new friend." Mami said with a smile.

"Do you recognise her from somewhere Mami-san?" Kyoko asked after watching the brief conversation Homura and Oriko had.

The blonde shook her head. "I don't think so, why?"

"Really? Because I feel like I should know her."

Mami thought about it for a moment. "Actually now that you mention it, that other one, the one with black hair. She did seem familiar to me."

Both the blonde and the redhead were racking their brains to try and figure out where they knew the two girls, but came up with nothing.

"Just what was that about?" Kirika asked when Oriko sat down.

"I'm not sure." The white haired girl put a hand on her chin. "I just have this feeling about her." Oriko immediately regretted phasing it the way she did.

"Huh! Have you fallen for that other girl? And at first sight?!"

Oriko chuckled at her reaction. "No nothing like that, I just feel like I know her from somewhere."

"That compelled you to just go up talk to her?"

Oriko chuckled again. "To be honest, I'm still not sure what came over me."

Kirika proceeded to cling onto Oriko's arm, resting her head on the white haired girl's shoulder. "Well as long you don't leave me then I guess I'm okay with it."

As the train continued on its track, more and more Mahou Shoujo got on the train, even a few Incubators went with them. Seeing all the little aliens running around on the moving transport made Homura feel uneasy.

_Wraiths, Americans, Incubators and now Oriko Mikuni. Anything could happen, I need to be ready._

_Military Base Outside Tokyo_

Lieutenant Reavys sat inside a tent alone, with notes and a large map of Tokyo sprawled out on the table in front of her. She was overlooking the plans for the entire operation. This was a delicate mission for them. They had one main objective: retrieve answers from the Incubators of Japan and their Magical Girls. The Secondary Objective was to discover the cause of the recent change in the Wraiths behaviour.

Truthfully, the lieutenant didn't want this mission at all. She never did like dealing with those she didn't know. So being stuck in a foreign country was scenario she wasn't particularly happy with. However, she was the only Magical Girl that was left available with a high enough rank to take on the mission.

Her superiors thought it would be best for a Magical Girl to lead this operation as they believed this might go more smoothly with a Magical Girl than if a normal human was leading.

The term "Magical Girl" would stick even if you were technically an adult. Some didn't like this, but the lieutenant herself didn't really mind it. As long as her subordinates obeyed her orders, she didn't care what they called her.

She picked up some documents near herself and started skimming through the profiles of all the Magical Girls that attended the mission.

The sound of the tent the opening interrupted the lieutenant's work. The sergeant was carrying a cup of coffee for the lieutenant. Setting it down on the table, Talitha looked at the mess of papers spread out on the table.

"You know you need to rest, you were awake throughout most of your flight here." Talitha said worriedly.

Reavys sipped on the coffee. "I'll be fine, do have something to report?"

"Well I do need to ask something."

"Then shoot."

"I request permission to interrogate the Magical Girls of New York."

Reavys put the cup back down on the table. "Why would need to do that? Don't we have all the footage we need?"

Talitha shook her head. "No, I think we're missing something here. All reports say that the...thing came out of nowhere and attacked. I think there might be more to it."

Reavys narrowed her eyes. "Explain."

"When I asked Dranbey about it, he said something like it hasn't appeared ever in recorded history."

"Get to the point." The lieutenant was getting tired of the sergeant beating around the bush.

"I think the Magical Girls might know something, so I need permission to commence an interrogation."

Reavys continued to drink the coffee to keep herself awake. "So you think they're hiding something from us?"

"Yes sir."

It didn't take long for the lieutenant to decide. They had to be as thorough as possible when it came to an operation as important as this.

"Very well, permission granted."

_Sutoraiki City_

All the Mahou Shoujo left the train when they reached their destination. As they got out, a lot of Mahou Shoujo were giving each other looks of suspicion. Even when now they all still didn't trust each other. They had to work together because there was no other choice. Mami sighed at this.

_I hope one day we stop being so territorial and start trusting each other._

As they exited the station, trying to separate themselves from the crowd of humans, watching a few Mahou Shoujo already heading towards the airport, Aka's phone went off.

"Oh, sorry, guys just give me a moment."

She sped off around a corner for a bit of privacy, leaving the Mitakihara trio to wait outside the exit of the station.

"Hello?" A familiar voice asked when Aka answered her phone.

"Yeah I'm here, you need something?" Aka said as she pressed her back against a wall while placing her other hand over the uncovered ear to drone out at least some of the sound of the bustling city.

"Have you reached Sutoraiki yet?"

"Indeed I have. I will be taking the plane to Tokyo in a few hours."

"Do you have anything significant to report?" The female voice on the line asked.

"I do actually." Aka smirked. "I met Homura Akemi."

The line was silent for awhile before the other person replied. "This is a surprise. How is she? Still weak and frail like the last time I saw her?"

"Oh she's fine." The purple haired girl laughed. "Well actually, it depends on your point of view because...she's a Mahou Shoujo now."

"Well...that is an interesting development. You're sure about this?"

"One hundred percent, she's also made a few friends as well. They seem nice so I wouldn't worry about her so much."

"Are they attending this meeting with the Americans too?"

Aka nodded, despite the fact that no one could see her doing so. "Yeah she is. Will this affect your plans?"

"...no, things will move along as planned."

"Speaking of, how is recruitment lately? Got anyone else on your side yet?"

"Only a few. Though I'm working on getting an Incubator to work with us as well."

"An Incubator?" _That's a big task considering what we're doing. I wonder how she'll pull it off. _"That's going be tough."

"Of course, but I believe an Incubator will be essential if we're going to have even a chance of victory.

"I suppose that makes sense. Oh one thing, have you found anything concerning the Wraiths by any chance? My soul gem isn't exactly in the best of shape you know."

Aka could hear the woman sighing. "Nothing that could help us. The only thing I found out is that this has happened all over Japan. My scouts in other countries have yet to report in about this. It's still unknown about whether or not Japan is the only one affected by this. This is very concerning."

"Yeah, we Mahou Shoujo already fight each other for Grief Stones. Now that the Wraiths seem to leave to god knows where, tension is only running higher than ever." Aka checked her watch, and realised that she should be getting back.

"Look I need to go, you haven't forgotten our deal right? I help you, you help my mother."

The purple haired girl heard chuckling from the phone. "Of course, I always keep my word."

Ending the call, Aka put the phone back in her pocket and sighed._Things sure have gotten complicated lately. _

Homura's headache had returned but she didn't react and just tried to ignore it. Sutoraiki city was defiantly more noisy then Mitakihara, or perhaps it was because they were near a train station? Homura didn't really care and just wanted to find a quiet place to rest.

Aka soon rejoined the group. Homura noticed something different about her. She seemed a bit less cherry, like she had seen something but tried to hide it. Homura knew that kind of face because it was the face she herself would see when ever she looked in a mirror.

_I wonder who called..._

Kyoko walked forward ahead of the girls before tilting her head back to the others. "We got a few hours before the flight to Tokyo right? Come on, lets go find a place to eat because I'm starving here."

Aka expression changed into one of confusion. "Wait, didn't you eat a meal's worth of snacks on the ride here?"

"Your point?"

Mami giggled at their new friend. "Don't worry, we don't understand how she can eat so much either, but you get used to it after a while."

The blonde then walked ahead of the redhead and lead the group around the city. Mami had always considered herself the leader, the one that any of the girls could turn to when needed. When Homura had her sudden personality change, it almost seemed like she had taken that role of leader. It was one of the things Mami was unsure how she felt about the new Homura.

The raven haired girl stayed more silent than usual. The whole time she would have an almost pained expression on her face, Homura's headache was getting worse.

_Damnit, I'm a Mahou Shoujo, I shouldn't have any illnesses. _

The group found themselves eating at a restaurant. Kyoko took the opportunity to shamelessly order anything and everything she could. Homura had to smack Kyoko over the head to stop the redhead from overdoing it.

"We still have a plane to catch you know." Homura scolded.

"Jezz, I know you don't like to have fun very much, but that doesn't mean you need to rain on my parade too."

The rest of lunch went along smoothly, Homura's headache even stared getting better by the end of it. The raven haired girl was still confused by it though. A Mahou Shoujo wasn't supposed to fall ill from anything because the soul gem would use magic to destroy the bacteria.

_I need to ask Kyubey about this._

After Mami paid the ridiculous amount of yen because of Kyoko, the group left for the airport. The city was huge, much bigger than Mitakihara, but even so they managed to find the it with plenty of time to spare.

"Hmm, looks like I'm not on the same plane as you guys." Aka said, looking at the tickets.

"Well that's a shame." Mami said. "I guess we'll see each other at Tokyo Tower then?"

The purple haired girl nodded. "Yeah, I still don't know if I'll be of much help, but I'll do what I can."

"Lets just hope shit doesn't hit the fan when we all meet up." Kyoko commented. Which resulted with a smack over the head by Mami.

"You know you shouldn't swear in public."

"Oh come on, I bet most kids these days probably know more swear words than I do."

"I find that hard to believe." Homura said.

Aka waved goodbye to the Mitakihara group as they entered the gate to the their plane. There were a few Mahou Shoujo already on the transport trying to ignore each other, along with a certain white haired girl sitting next to one of the windows.

The humans felt uneasy on the transport. Like a fight could break out at any moment. Homura felt the tension the moment she stepped on board, Kyoko and Mami too.

"You know, I think Homura-chan's place is more cherry than this." Kyoko remarked as they took their seats.

Kyoko and Mami sat together, with Mami having the seat closest to the window. Homura sat in the row in front of them, alone. The dark haired girl examined her soul gem. It had a dark cloud obscuring the violet light.

_I haven't purified myself in awhile. _

She clutched the gem tightly in her palm, angry at herself that she let her soul reach this state. She knew that if it didn't get purified soon, then it wouldn't be long before she could start having suicidal thoughts.

_I've grown careless._

The engines started up, and soon the plane was in flight. Homura noticed Kyubey sitting on top of one of the seats, watching her.

_May as well ask him now._

She turned her entire head to the side to face the Incubator.

_Kyubey, is it possible for a Mahou Shoujo to fall sick from anything?_

The little alien moved his ears to indicate that it heard her.

_It shouldn't be. The soul gem is meant to prevent any disease from affecting the body._

She glared at the Incubator. _Then why am I having these headaches?_

Kyubey tilted its head to the side. _That I do not have an accurate answer for. Why not consult your fellow Mahou Shoujo? They might be able to help you. _

_They don't need to know. _Homura snapped back mentally.

Homura mentally growled and turned back to face the window, ending the conversation. Little did she know, Mami just heard the whole thing. The blonde established a link and was about to ask Kyubey some questions about the Americans when she overheard the conversation the dark haired girl had with it.

_Homura-chan...why don't you trust us anymore? _

The blonde didn't realise that she was clenching her fists at her side. Mami desperately wanted Homura to open up to them again, but it seemed like she would continue to keep secrets.

_Did losing Sayaka really change her this much? Or perhaps it's something she hasn't told us yet?_

Mami couldn't help but think that this was connected to this "Madoka" person. It was clear Madoka was an important person to Homura considering she called out to her. It was strange however, from the day she met her, up until the day Sayaka Miki passed away, there was no mention of "Madoka" at all.

Mami was fairly sure that Homura never met with anyone else beside her group of friends. The blonde knew there were pieces missing from the puzzle that was Homura Akemi.

_Pull yourself together. Stay focused on the task at hand. We need to deal with the foreigners first. _The blonde took in slow and deep breaths to help clear her mind.

Homura's eyelids felt heavy. She was starting to feel sleepy, which was strange because it was the middle of the day. It was soon futile to resist and the dark haired girl succumbed to her body's wishes.

_This place again._

The same black space, just last time. Getting up, she realised something was different this time. It was hard to see, but she thought there was a something surrounding her. Shaking it off, she went in the direction of the voices.

"Why? I don't need her helping me. We can handle the Wraiths on our own." Sayaka's voice sounded frustrated.

"Please Sayaka-chan. Kyoko-chan isn't that bad. You don't have to be friends with her, just don't try to kill her every time you meet."

"Have you forgotten she almost killed you?"

"She said it was an accident. Kyoko-chan already apologised."

"Come on, we don't need her, it's not like I'm going to die anytime soon."

"But there's still a chance you could..."

Sayaka sighed. "Look, I'll tolerate her, but only because you asked. Oh, while we're on the subject, why the hell are you two on a first name basis?"

"H-huh? T-T-That's because...umm, she err..."

"Actually you what, I won't even ask. It's probably better that I don't know."

_Are all these really related to Sayaka Miki? Is this my subconscious? Could these be memories from myself in this world?_

This was starting to frustrate the dark haired girl. Everything in this place wherever it was, seemed so confusing.

Reaching the location of the box, she watched her body inside it. It was laying down, seeming to be sleeping. The face on the other Homura seemed rather peaceful, her lips curved into a slight smile.

As watched though, she noticed something on the cube. It was a crack, in the same place she had struck it with her arrow.

_So I did do something..._

Summoning her bow again, she pulled back the string. She made the arrow as strong as she could before firing.

The sound of electricity filled the place again. Homura had forgotten about this and tried to block out the sound, it was too late to dodge as her attack came back and struck her.

When she woke up, she saw that the plane was still in flight, they still had about an hour before reaching the capital.

_I won't make the same mistake a third time. _Homura thought angrily.

Touching down in the Tokyo airport, the Mahou Shoujo began to leave. They still had about a week before they were supposed to go to Tokyo Tower. It was evening, the Wraiths would be coming out very soon.

After setting into the hotel the Mitakihara trio booked, the sun had almost completely disappeared, considering the amount of Mahou Shoujo residing in the city, they needed to be fast and ruthless in the hunt for Grief Stones.

"Hey Homura-chan, can I ask you something?" Kyoko asked.

Mami had just gone off in another direction and Homura was about to fly off too. They knew they would get more Grief Stones by splitting up than sticking together.

"What is it?"

"Do you plan on fighting the Mahou Shoujo here?"

"If it comes to it, yes."

"Then I'm sticking with you." Kyoko said, walking up next to the dark haired girl.

Homura turned her head to the redhead. "So you trust Tomoe-san to take care of herself but not me? I'm offended."

"The fact that you collapsed in front of me doesn't exactly inspire confidence." Kyoko suddenly felt a chill down her spine. "Hey is it me, or did it just get colder?"

Homura felt the chill as well. "Hmm, your right, it does seem colder now. The last couple of nights have been a bit warm strangely enough."

_Wait...this feeling...could it be..._

"Look out!"

Homura felt herself being pushed to side by Kyoko. Her entire body made contact with the hard concrete, the side of her head smacked the ground quite hard as well. One of the moments she was glad that her soul was in a gem and not the body as that would have hurt tremendously, instead the pain was only mildly irritating.

Homura gasped in horror at what she saw when she looked at Kyoko. The redhead's body had be pierced by beams of red light. Kyoko fell to the ground after the attack faded away, she lost consciousness as she did.

The raven haired girl turned to where the attack had come from, she thought it was from a Mahou Shoujo, but no. It was from a Wraith.


End file.
